What is publishing administration?
Your distributor pays you for the master (sound recording) when your music streams.
Publishing administration covers the other side: the composition royalties that PROs,
MROs, and CMOs collect worldwide - so you don’t leave money on the table.
- Master vs. composition royalties
- What publishing administration does
- Is this the right fit for you?
- Why not just do it yourself?
The basics
Master vs. composition royalties
If you distribute on Spotify, Apple Music, and similar platforms, your distributor
pays you the master share from streaming (and related uses like
vinyl or CDs). Most listening is digital today - but there is a second income stream
from the underlying composition, and it comes in different types:
Performance
Performance royalties
Paid when your music is played or performed publicly - FM and AM radio, TV,
advertisements, venues, and more. These go to performing rights organizations (PROs).
Mechanical
Mechanical royalties
Owed when your composition is reproduced - streamed, downloaded, or pressed to
physical formats. Some are paid through your distributor; others go to mechanical
rights organizations (MROs).
Note: In some countries, both performance and mechanical royalties
are collected by collective management organizations (CMOs).
The service
What publishing administration does
Publishing administration simplifies rights management so you can focus on creating
music and reinvesting in your career. Rightstune handles the registration and
collection work that would otherwise fall on you.
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Registers your songs globally across MROs, CMOs, and your PRO -
see our direct affiliations for how coverage works.
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Collects all of the publishing royalties you’re owed, then pays you out.
Fit check
Is this the right fit for you?
Publishing administration is a strong match if:
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You’re releasing music.
You’re an artist, producer, or copyright owner with tracks already on streaming platforms.
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You’re with a PRO as a writer.
You’ve registered with a PRO in your territory -
here’s a list of PROs by territory.
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You want every royalty collected.
You’re gaining traction and want money sooner - or you simply want confidence
that future royalties won’t be missed.
Why Rightstune
Why not just do it yourself?
You can register works on your own - but the map of societies is large, and small
mistakes are costly. Here’s why most independent writers use an admin:
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You’d need to register each song with your PRO and with mechanical societies
across 200+ countries and territories where your music might stream -
which gets overwhelming fast.
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We expedite registration and collection so royalties reach you sooner.
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Incorrect song data can delay or block collection of royalties you’re owed.
We handle registrations carefully so that doesn’t happen.
